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Porcelain vs bare cast iron grate

Updated: 22 October 2026

The barbecue lives under a cover from October to April, and you are choosing a cooking grate that will still look usable in May. Porcelain vs bare cast iron grate is that storage choice, once you already know the bars fit. Bare iron needs a wash, a thin coat of oil and a heat cycle, and it still rusts if you leave it wet. Porcelain enamel skips that oiling until the coat chips, and a chip rusts too. Neither finish is rust-proof, and this page did not run a sear test to crown one of them. The [cast iron grill grate comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/cast-iron-grill-grate) holds the listings. Prices are amazon.co.uk listing lines. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The barbecue lives under a cover from October to April, and you are choosing a cooking grate that will still look usable in May.

Our top picks

Weber Weber 8846

Best overall

Weber Weber 8846
9.4/10about £102.13
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CosmoGrill CosmoGrill XL, pair

Best value

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill XL, pair
9.1/10about £32.99
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GFTIME GFTIME 7638, pair

Rank 3

GFTIME GFTIME 7638, pair
9.4/10about £34.19
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On this page
  1. 1.The two surfaces
  2. 2.When bare iron is the right grate
  3. 3.When porcelain enamel is the right grate
  4. 4.Labels that do not match

The two surfaces

Bare cast iron has no glass-like coat. Food sticks until a thin oil film has been heated on. Broil King UK’s cycle is a wash, a dry, a thin high-smoke-point oil, and about 200°C for about 30 minutes, with no air-drying and no dishwasher. Char-Broil UK uses vegetable or canola and about 15 minutes until the oil stops smoking. Those times are not a claim that bare iron sears hotter. This comparison did not measure that. Porcelain enamel is a fired coat. Weber UK’s parts 7522 and 8846 are porcelain-enamelled cast iron, cleaned with a preheat and a brush, by hand, never in a dishwasher. A US Weber article says porcelain is not seasoned and that sharp tools chip it. The BBQ Centre says you oil the chip. The steps are on how to season cast iron BBQ grates. If you will not oil the grate, enamel matches the habit until it chips. If you will wash, dry and oil, bare iron is workable and it still punishes a wet week in the shed. Neither finish survives a dishwasher.

When bare iron is the right grate

Choose bare iron when the listing is honest about it and you will do the cycle. CosmoGrill 90111 sets non-stick to no and dishwasher to no. It is one grate, so a Deluxe or Pro 4+1 needs two. The XL pair’s reviews talk about sticking until the iron is seasoned, then sear marks after oil or lard. One of those reviews reported a crack on the second cook. Oil does not repair a crack. Bare iron is the wrong grate if you will leave it unoiled from Bonfire Night to Easter, and it is the wrong reading of a Weber part whose UK page says porcelain.
Weber Weber 8846

Testsieger

Weber Weber 8846
9.4/10about £102.13
View offer

When porcelain enamel is the right grate

Choose enamel when the barbecue stays outside under a cover and you will not keep an oiling routine. Weber UK’s 7522, at £114.99 for the side-control Spirit 200 class, and 8846, at £134.99 for the later fits line, are both porcelain-enamelled cast iron on the brand pages. The 7522 care line is a preheat on high for 15 minutes and a brush. You do not run a 30-minute oil bake on an intact coat, and you do not use a dishwasher. Spirit years stay on Weber Spirit cast iron grates.

Labels that do not match

Coated is not a synonym for porcelain enamel. Denmay’s finish field says coated cast iron, on a pair aimed at side-knob Spirits from 2009 to 2012. The page does not prove whether that coat is enamel, lacquer or factory oil. If you need Weber’s porcelain specification, buy the part whose UK page says so. If you buy the coated pair, assume you may have to oil it, and measure it, because the two size lines disagree. Lacquered and alloy steel are the amazon.co.uk fields on Weber 8846, at about £102.13. Weber UK says porcelain-enamelled cast iron at £134.99. That clash is why the listing does not take the top-pick badge even though the score ties the GFTIME pair. Follow the brand page for the official part, and the surface you can see if the bars arrive looking raw.

Common questions

Which finish if the barbecue stays outside under a cover?
Porcelain enamel, if you will not oil the grate between cooks. Weber’s UK parts 7522 and 8846 use a preheat and a brush rather than a 30-minute oil cycle. A cover still traps damp air. Bare iron left unoiled under that cover is the faster route to orange.
Does porcelain need seasoning?
Not while the coat is whole. Weber’s US care article says porcelain grates are not seasoned. Weber UK’s own cleaning page tells you to burn residue off, brush while hot, and wash cast iron by hand, never in a dishwasher. Oil a chip, which is what the BBQ Centre recommends, instead of coating the entire grate. Bare iron is the surface that needs the Broil King or Char-Broil oil cycle. Mixing the two routines leaves sticky enamel and unseasoned iron.
What happens when enamel chips?
The iron underneath behaves like bare iron on that patch. You can keep cooking. Oil the chip so it does not flash-rust, and stop dragging a sharp tool across the rest of the coat. A wire brush that sheds is a separate problem: check for loose bristles, and call 999 if someone is choking. A chip does not mean the whole grate must be thrown out the same day. A sheet of enamel lifting across the bars means the protection has gone on that area, and the bare-iron storage rules apply there.
Will bare iron rust in a UK shed?
Yes, if it stays wet. One SUMNACON review reported a rusty brown plate after the first wash, even with prompt drying. Char-Broil UK treats rust as a signal to re-season and to store the grate dry. A cold shed and a wet winter cover are enough moisture. The recovery is a clean, a thin oil coat, and heat, not a dishwasher. If you will not do that after wet weekends, bare iron is the wrong finish for the way you actually cook.
Why does one Weber listing say lacquered and alloy steel?
Because the amazon.co.uk attribute table for 8846 disagrees with Weber UK. Amazon shows lacquered and alloy steel at about £102.13, with 230 watts in a field that does not belong on a grate. Weber UK shows porcelain-enamelled cast iron at £134.99 and 1.3 × 44.5 × 52 cm. Use the brand page for the specification and the amazon price only as that shop’s price. The clash is a listing fault. It is not a third metal you need to season differently until you can see the bars.

Related pages

Cast iron grill grate buying guide

Cast iron grill grate

Best cast iron grill grates: listing score and fit

How to season cast iron BBQ grates: bare or enamel

Weber Spirit cast iron grates: side or front knobs

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

  1. Food contact materials regulations, GOV.UK (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 1 Chapter 2 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Weber UK: cleaning and maintenance (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Weber UK part 7522 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Weber UK part 8846 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Broil King UK: cleaning and maintenance (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Char-Broil UK: prepare a new gas barbecue (retrieved 21 October 2026)